News

Facebook teases 'awesome' launch next week

Could upcoming release by a free app optimized for Apple's iPad?

June 30, 2011 05:28 PM ET

Computerworld - Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg is trying to build some excitement for an announcement the company is planning next week.

Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO and co-founder, told a group of reporters at the social network's Seattle office on Thursday that the company is working to "launch something awesome" next week, according to a Reuters news service report. He added that the announcement could be connected to the mobile or tablet market.

Reuters noted that Zuckerberg said the project was developed in the Seattle office, which is Facebook's only engineering center away from its main Palo Alto, Calif. offices.

Facebook did not respond to a request for further information.

Online speculation is growing that the upcoming announcement could be connected to the social network finally releasing a free app for Apple's highly popular iPad tablet.

Earlier this month, the New York Times reported that an optimized app was in the works.

If Facebook is going to release an iPad app, its been a long time coming. Since the iPad was unveiled more than a year ago, industry analysts have been wondering why it's taken Facebook so long to optimize an app for it.

Facebook has an app that iPad owners can use, but it was built for the iPhone and has not been optimized for the iPad's larger screen or other features. Zeus Kerravala, an analyst with Yankee Group, called the current un-optimized app "lame" in an earlier interview.

Sharon Gaudin covers the Internet and Web 2.0, emerging technologies, and desktop and laptop chips for Computerworld. Follow Sharon on Twitter at @sgaudin or subscribe to Sharon's RSS feed . Her e-mail address is sgaudin@computerworld.com.

Facebook Watch

More about Facebook

Read more about Web 2.0 and Web Apps in Computerworld's Web 2.0 and Web Apps Topic Center.

Comments ()

What is Tech Briefcase?

TechBriefcase is a new, free service where IT Professionals can Search, Store and Share IT white papers and content like this. Learn more

Bookmark content

Speed up your research efforts with content across the web.

Search and Store

Find the white papers you need. Create folders for any topic.

View Anywhere

Open your briefcase on your iPhone, tablet or desktop. Share with colleagues.

Don't have an account yet?

Additional Resources

WHITE PAPER

Enter the Security KnowledgeVault

Security is not an option. This KnowledgeVault Series offers professional advice how to be proactive in the fight against cybercrimes and multi-layered security threats; how to adopt a holistic approach to protecting and managing data; and how to hire a qualified security assessor. Make security your Number 1 priority.

Read now.

WHITE PAPER

Cut Communications Costs Once and for All

New IP-based communications systems are being deployed by small and midsized businesses at a rapid rate. Learn how these organizations are enabling faster responsiveness, creating better customer experiences, speeding office or mobile interactions, and dramatically reducing existing communications costs.

Read now.

Top Stories

Free Insider Guide

Excel 2010 Cheat Sheet: Register for this Computerworld Insider Cheat Sheet and gain access to hundreds of premium content articles, guides, product reviews and more.

Web 2.0 and Web Apps White Papers

Practice Management: Double Billing Rate and Improve Patient Services: Would you like to double your billing rate and achieve faster payment for services?

Download this customer success story to see how One Health...
Mission Critical Data Explosion and Customer Case Study: Would you like to double your tier 1 storage capacity while simultaneously reducing your storage footprint?

Download this customer success story to see how...
Protecting Against Database Attacks and Insider Threats: Top 5 Scenarios: Read this new eBook to learn the top five scenarios and essential best practices for preventing database attacks and insider threats.
Database Activity Monitoring Is Evolving: Read the analyst report and learn how you can leverage the core capabilities of a DAP solution for better database security.
Establishing a Strategy for Database Security is No Longer Optional: The options for securing increasingly valuable databases are very broad and deep, and can be confusing. This research provides an overview of three...

Web 2.0 and Web Apps Webcasts

Distributed Database Security with Real-time Monitoring: View this demo and learn how IBM InfoSphere Guardium database activity monitoring can help protect your sensitive data in distributed DBMS environments with...
InfoSphere Warehouse Packs Demo: These flash modules make warehousing more tangible and relevant to business users through detailed explanations of the InfoSphere Warehouse Packs.
Delivery Management -- Extending Lifecycle Management: Date: Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 1:00 PM EDT

Siloed organizations continue doing the wrong things and doing things wrong, leading to increased costs,...
Leverage automation today to reduce IT complexity: Date: Tuesday, June 5, 2012, 2:00 PM EDT

Whether your B2B complexity is caused by multiple technologies due to M&A, business or application specific...
Redefine Expectations in the Data Center: Need to do more with less? Watch this video to learn how HP ProLiant Gen8 servers can help your business deploy servers three...